Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Opening moves pay off at Space

By Joan and Mike Street
Wanganui Midweek·
15 May, 2019 04:39 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Portrait by Jana Franca, now showing at Space.

Portrait by Jana Franca, now showing at Space.

MIKE: Sarah Williams' decision to change the exhibition openings at Space Gallery from Saturdays to Wednesdays seems to have paid off, judging by the number of people who were present last week. The more spacious premises allow two, if not three, shows to run in tandem, and Gallery 1 is displaying a series of portraits by Jana Branca, from South Africa, now resident in New Plymouth. Her oil paintings are strong and aggressive, revealing the individuality of her subjects, an important factor in her work, emphasised by the use of the nicknames of each one. In her statement, she makes the point that "flesh" equals "character", reflecting a "constant change and development", which she aims to delineate in her paintings.

In Gallery 2 there is a joint exhibition by Katherine Claypole and Sophie Klerk, Into the Blue, "capturing the blue at the far edge of what can be seen", exemplified by mountains, rivers, horizons. There is a pleasing juxtaposition of Sophie's mixed media works, ink on paper, and Katherine's stitched thread on canvas. The precise geometrical formation of the latter blends well with the angularity of the overlapping materials of the former. Dennis McGowan, an architect with an eye for structure, told me that the "architectural quality" of Sophie's creations strongly appealed. The exhibitions run until May 18.

MIKE: At the opening of Don Hill's exhibition, In the Landscape, at Fine Arts Gallery last Friday, a comment was passed that Don was the best painter in Whanganui, and had been for some years. A strong case could be made for that claim. The large number of paintings on show have one common factor — consistency. There is no obvious weakness in anything the artist takes as his subject. Nature (rivers, cliffs, skies, beaches, hills), living creatures (men, cattle, dogs), material objects (boats, tractors, sheds) — all are depicted with photographic realism. For some viewers that could be a disadvantage. Why not simply take a photograph? But this argument is easily deflected by the sheer amount of skill and patience required for these oil on board works.

Muted shades of green, brown, grey and blue dominate the scenes, themselves either familiar or so alive as to feel familiar. Surely I've been there? When? Oh, perhaps not. The upper reaches of the Whanganui River, Ngawi with its rusty tractors, Milford Sound — beautiful. My favourite has to be Downpour, in which the stoicism of both stockmen and cattle, under cold, miserable, slanting rain, was palpable. Not possessing a natural aptitude for art appreciation, I tend to go by what Joan once said, when I asked why she disliked a painting I quite enjoyed. "It lacks soul," was her answer. To me that seems a pretty fair yardstick, and I reckon Downpour meets that prerequisite. Don's show ends on May 30.

JOAN: I very much regret not seeing Fleur Wilkes' latest exhibition held over the last two Saturdays. Fleur's work is always profound in thought and yet has a simplicity that links her feelings gently with those of the observer. Her paintings very much suit being displayed in the rooms of a private home, so Fleur was thrilled by the large attendance at the Great North Rd house of a friend where her work was displayed. Sometimes an exhibition in a formal gallery setting cannot capture the intimacy of the artist's creations as well as an actual home. I saw this to be true when I attended an earlier exhibition of Fleur's work in her own lovely cottage. In thanking those who had attended her exhibition, Fleur told her visitors that they "really, properly saw my work and understood a little bit of my heart as you did so". Named the tenderness project, I envy those of you who were able to go and see it. Another such exhibition again soon, please!

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

MIKE: A visit with a difference on Saturday afternoon to Confluence, that cosy little cinema on Watt St. Instead of actually watching a film, I was part of a group being filmed by Kevin Double. In front of a green screen, we stood, moved and spoke, in accordance with instructions from Kevin and Karen Craig, writer and director of the project. The purpose of the exercise was to produce a phone app for an Augmented Reality tour of Whanganui. The apps will be on sale at the i-Site, then visitors can wander round our city, pointing phones at specific buildings, enabling them to "see" a story, not merely hear it. It is hoped that this will complement the Walking Tours, which are available at weekends.

The first story was the well known confrontation between Mayor Mackay and Darcy Cresswell. Having played Mackay a few years ago during the centenary celebrations of the Dublin Street Bridge, I was this time cast as a prosecuting lawyer, virtually accusing myself of attempted murder! Observing Kevin at work was extremely interesting, as he organised lighting, sound, entries and position of actors, and much more. The ultimate touch of professionalism, for me, was the use of a clapperboard! What a thrill to hear "Take 1" or perhaps, "Take 27"! In fact, neither eventuated, as the board simply delineated the takes, without the need for a numbered list.
The WDC and the Chamber of Commerce will be shown the resulting film, in a bid to engage financial support for the undertaking. Watch this space!

Comments and suggestions to mjstreet@xtra.co.nz

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Police seek sightings of car linked to missing person

06 Jul 11:50 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

How a spray painter is mastering conflict resolution with NZ Army

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Police seek sightings of car linked to missing person

Police seek sightings of car linked to missing person

06 Jul 11:50 PM

The victim had been missing since June 27 and was last seen driving his white 2002 Mazda.

How a spray painter is mastering conflict resolution with NZ Army

How a spray painter is mastering conflict resolution with NZ Army

06 Jul 05:00 PM
'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP